Ouattara envoy claims forces loyal to would-be president control two-thirds of war-torn country after Gbagbo loses more towns Rebel forces in Ivory Coast say they are advancing towards the capital after seizing two more towns in the heart of the war-torn country. Militias loyal to presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara have taken control of Sinfra and Bouafle , according to his defence spokesman, Captain Leon Alla. Both are west of the capital city, Yamoussoukro. Earlier this week the rebels took three towns further to the west. Ally Coulibaly, Ouattara’s ambassador to Paris, claimed that rebel forces now control three quarters of the country. He said the incumbent president, Laurent Gbagbo, had been given every chance to step down following his defeat in last November’s election but Ivorians eventually had to take up arms to avoid a massacre of the civilian population. A spokesman for Gbagbo called for a ceasefire and mediation but warned that the battle was far from over. Spokesman Don Mello told Radio France International: “We call for an immediate ceasefire and the opening of talks under the mediation of the African Union high representative. Failing which, we will use our legitimate right of defence. “We have adopted a strategy of tactical withdrawal. We hope that dialogue will open very shortly. It is useless to head into conflict and increase the number of victims.” Over the past few days the rebels – who have controlled northern Ivory Coast since the civil war of 2002-3 – have advanced east toward the centre of the country. They have claimed to have seized two major cities, Duekoue and Daloa. Roads from Daloa lead south to the port of San Pedro, which could be used to resupply the rebels who do not have access to the sea, and east to Yamassoukro. The capture of Yamassoukro would be symbolic but not decisive. Gbagbo’s seat of power is in the commercial capital, Abidjan, where fighting has raged for months between rival factions. Pro-Ouattara forces also made progress in the east, near the Ghana border. They took Bondoukou in the north-east before marching 200km (125 miles) south to, and through, Abengourou unopposed, residents said, leaving them 200km north-east of Abidjan. The UN accused pro-Gbagbo forces of shooting dead up to 10 civilians in the Abidjan suburb of Abobo on Tuesday. Gbagbo’s government spokesman dismissed the report and said Abidjan was “impregnable” to rebel attack. Violence in Abidjan may escalate after Gbagbo’s army spokesman called on his youths to join the fight. “The hour for their enrolment has arrived,” Colonel Babri Gohourou told state TV. “They will be called up from Wednesday.” Gbagbo’s Young Patriots have targeted UN staff for weeks, beating them, burning UN vehicles and sometimes abducting them. A Nigerien UN peacekeeper was seized by unknown attackers two weeks ago and remains missing, according to security sources. “We think one of our soldiers in the Nigerien contingent in Abidjan was kidnapped in the week from 12 to 19 March,” a security source in Niamey, Niger’s capital, told Reuters. “The UN is investigating.” The international community and Ivory Coast’s electoral commission say Ouattara won the presidential election. But Gbagbo refuses to give up power. More than one million people have fled the fighting that has ensued and at least 462 have been killed since the election, according to UN figures. Ouattara’s camp puts the death toll above 700. In the town of Doekoue, up to 30,000 people took refuge in a church compound to escape the fighting. A missionary told the BBC that many of those who had sought refuge at the mission were migrants from other West African countries who had been working in the surrounding cocoa plantations. Sources said electricity in Duekoue has also been cut, apparently as a result of the fighting, depriving people in the area of water. Amnesty International called on the UN mission in Ivory Coast, known as UNOCI, to take urgent action to protect civilians in Doekoue. Veronique Aubert, its Africa deputy director, said: “The UNOCI mandate in Ivory Coast requires the peacekeepers to protect civilians at imminent threat of physical violence. They must act immediately to prevent further bloodshed.” “Their camp is only about 3km from Doekoue and we’re urging them to use all means necessary to protect civilians against the violence taking place on their own doorstep.” A UN spokesman added that “robust patrols” had been deployed to protect the church and those inside. Ivory Coast African Union United Nations David Smith guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …In Libya Interview, Sawyer Asks Obama About Praying Like Lincoln and ‘How Much Do You Think Kentucky Will Win By?’
March 30, 2011 No Comment
The broadcast evening news anchors all got ten minutes with President Barack Obama on Tuesday afternoon in New York City to press him about contradictions in his Libya policy, ceding authority for foreign entities and how he’s a hypocrite after his criticism of President Bush for unilateral actions and not getting congressional approval, but instead they simply prodded him to provide arms to the rebels and pushed him to take action in Syria. But ABC’s Diane Sawyer stood out for her obsequiousness as the Kentucky native ended by giddily bringing up the college basketball tournament: “How much do you think Kentucky will win by?” Before that, she cued him up to agree he’s as burdened as Abraham Lincoln: What about the famous quote from another beleaguered President, Abraham Lincoln, who said he had been driven many times to his knees because his own wisdom and that around him “was insufficient for the day”? Obama assured her: “I do a lot of praying.” Following the interview except, Sawyer personalized her “beleaguered President” theme: By the way, on that avalanche of crises the President faces every day – from Libya to Iraq to Afghanistan to nuclear crises in Japan – the President goes home every day to talk to his daughters about his day. I ask him what does he say to them about days like this? And you can see that at ABCNews.com/World News. She had teased World News : “One on One: I ask the President about cutting a deal with Moammar Gadhafi and does he ever say ‘what's going on with this avalanche of world crises’?” Brian Williams teased the NBC Nightly News : “‘Not ruling it out.’ Tonight, in our conversation with President Obama, he leaves the door open to arming those rebels in Libya.” For CBS, Erica Hill landed the sit-down with Obama, which she teased: “Tonight, keeping up the pressure on Gadafi. The new air strikes and a diplomatic push. We talk to the President.” Hill posed about the toughest question, which shows just how soft the sessions were: “The supreme allied commander for NATO said today that there are flickers of al Qaeda and Hezbollah amongst these rebels. How do we know what their end goal is? And how do we know they won't, in fact, turn on the U.S. and on our allies?” Diane Sawyer’s questions to Obama as aired on the Tuesday, March 29 ABC World News : – In my interview with the President I started by asking about Gadhafi and those reports he is trying to make a deal. [To Obama:] As of this moment, any sign Gadhafi wants out? – If Gadhafi ends up in a villa someplace in Zimbabwe with no war crimes trial, is that okay with you? – Have you made, or would you make any calls to say “take him”? – We are hearing tonight, it’s fierce fighting, the U.S. must send munitions. How long would it take to get there? – Can we say that we could have it [arms] in there in a day, in two days? – I want to try to clarify what you’re saying today to the people of Syria. [Sawyer narration: We specifically asked the President, is he saying to the protesters in Syria that if they meet the five criteria he laid out last night] Are you saying to them we will be there for you as we were there in Libya? – Even if these paper criteria are met? – What about the famous quote from another beleaguered President, Abraham Lincoln, who said he had been driven many times to his knees because his own wisdom and that around him “was insufficient for the day”? [Obama: “I do a lot of praying.”] – Just a final question: How much do you think Kentucky will win by? Erica Hill’s questions to Obama as excerpted on the CBS Evening News: – Earlier today I spoke with President Obama here in New York. He has made it clear, from the beginning, he wants Gaddafi out. But what if he doesn’t go? – Are there also discussions and even perhaps meetings at all with people in Muammar Gaddafi's camp? – The supreme allied commander for NATO said today that there are flickers of al Qaeda and Hezbollah amongst these rebels. How do we know what their end goal is? And how do we know they won't, in fact, turn on the U.S. and on our allies? – Can you give us an idea of what some of those goals are [for the Libyan rebels]? Beyond just removing Qaddafi from power? – You mentioned the region. There's obviously so much focus on the region at this point. From everything we've seen over the last couple of months, there is renewed focus, though, on Syria. What would it take, what circumstances in particular would lead to direct involvement from the U.S. in Syria? The questions from Williams to Obama run on the NBC Nightly News: – The moment your speech ended last night the Associated Press put out an item that read: “President Obama’s speech was about defending the first war launched on his watch.” How does it end? – What if it doesn’t work? What if the rebels find themselves bogged down, this becomes protracted? – How do you not offer the rebels direct assistance of some sort? – Due respect, Mr. President, watching the reportings of our two correspondents in Libya, what it appears the rebels need is military equipment. Some of their equipment dates back to World War II. Are you ruling out U.S. military hardware assistance? – Three weeks from now, if a member of your circle makes an impassioned case to do the same in Syria, to finally de-couple it from Iran, what do you do? – So when people hear words like “values” and “interests” and your phrase “the flow of commerce” – which some people couldn’t help but substitute oil – they shouldn’t think that there is any blanket policy, this may be an ad-hoc business if this so-called Arab Spring turns into Arab Summer and we keep at this, watching countries change? — Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.
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Some movie clips … one unifying theme … The Usual Suspects … The Sixth Sense … now you get it! Damn you! Aristotle called it anagnorisis , that moment where the protagonist in a drama suddenly twigs what’s been going on this whole time. He identified the famous scene in Oedipus Rex , where the young king realises he’s killed his father and had sex with his mother, as the most perfect example of this in action. There’s also the bit at the end of every episode of Scooby Doo where the ghost is revealed to have been that kindly old janitor all along. When they’re done well, these epiphany scenes can be genuinely amazing, pulling the rug from under the audience’s feet and ensuring that films like The Usual Suspects and The Sixth Sense are talked about for years to come. They also give an actor the opportunity to show off their “sudden realisation face” which is always nice to see: “So, it’s just dawned on you that the entire movie is taking place inside someone else’s dream and you’re actually your own father … OK, action!” Here are five of my favourite examples of big-screen epiphanies. (Obviously, if you haven’t seen any of these films yet, you probably shouldn’t watch the clip as it will pretty much ruin it for you …) 1) The classic movie epiphany from Planet of the Apes. Charlton Heston stares in horror at the ruins of the Statue of Liberty and realises they’ve made a monkey out of him (see what I did there?) 2) Amazing scene at the end of Angel Heart . As Mickey Rourke stands over the body of Epiphany Proudfoot, he realises that his soul is destined for hell. 3) Although I can’t watch this Sixth Sense scene any more without thinking of this . 4) “Oh bladdy ‘ell!” Brenda Blethyn showing how she’s one of the all-time great British actors in Secrets and Lies. And with German subtitles as a bonus! 5) Very, very clever. I’d like to see Keyser Söze try to devise a cover story from the items on my notice board. It would make for a very different film indeed, mainly revolving around unpaid EDF Energy bills. Last week on Clip joint John Carvill sought out the most touching clips of facial stroking . Here are his picks: 1) OverThereByTheDoor brought us face to face with Clint Eastwood’s enigmatic beard-stroking in A Fistful of Dollars . 2) Mansellto was first to put his finger on Jean-Paul Belmondo’s postmodern Bogart-aping lip-rub in A Bout De Souffle . 3) ExplorationStaircase was right on the nose with this sterling display of ensemble face-touching in A Woman Under the Influence . 4) The shodfather made sure the clip-hungry weren’t living hand-to-mouth, by reminding us of Marlon Brando’s effortlessly expressive face-fondling in The Godfather. 5) But the winner, by a nose, had to be Milopotas for fingering Michael Madsen’s demonstration that even tough guys need to get in touch with their facial feelings now and then, in Reservoir Dogs. Clip Joint is changing. From May we’ll be transferring commissioning (as well as writing) power to you, the readers. So please hold off on pitching any Clip Joint topics until then. Matt Harvey guardian.co.uk
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Syria’s president makes first public address since protests erupted two weeks ago and after sacking cabinet President Bashar al-Assad has blamed the wave of protests sweeping his country on “conspirators” who are trying to destroy Syria in his first public address since the demonstrations erupted nearly two weeks ago. As he entered parliament for the speech, legislators chanted: “God, Syria and Bashar only!” and, “Our souls, our blood we sacrifice for you Bashar.” The speech is seen as a crucial test for his leadership and one that may determine Syria’s future. Assad said security forces were given “clear instructions” not to harm citizens during the protests. Human rights groups say more than 60 people have been killed since 18 March in a crackdown on the protests. The coming days will be key to determining whether Assad’s concessions will calm the protest movement, which started after security forces arrested several teenagers who scrawled anti-government graffiti on a wall in the impoverished city of Deraa in the south. Assad is also expected to announce constitutional amendments and sweeping reforms, including an end to nearly 50 years of widely despised emergency laws that give the regime a free hand to arrest people without charges. On Tuesday, Assad fired his cabinet in another move designed to pacify the anti-government protesters. Syria Bashar Al-Assad Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Protest guardian.co.uk
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Car-maker to sue BBC for libel and malicious falsehood as faked race continues to be shown uncorrected on repeats and DVD Electric sports car maker Tesla Motors is sueing the BBC’s Top Gear TV programme for allegedly faking a scene showing the company’s Roadster car running out of electricity and slowing to a halt in a race. The legal move is the culmination of a row that has rumbled on between the show and Telsa since the episode was first broadcast in 2008. Specialist libel law firm Carter-Ruck issued the writ on behalf of the firm on Tuesday at the high court because the scene was still being shown onworldwide repeats and was available on DVD, and the BBC had failed to correct it. The firm expects to recover not more than £100,000 in damages. In the race with a petrol-powered Lotus Elise, the £87,000 electric car was shown having to stop for a recharge. But the car never ran out of electricity. Tesla said after the race aired that neither of the two Roadsters that it loaned Jeremy Clarkson’s team had gone below 20% of charge. Earlier in the same episode, Clarkson had praised the Tesla: “I cannot believe this – that’s biblically quick. This car is electric, literally. The top speed may only be 125mph but there’s so much torque it does 0-60 in 3.9 seconds. Not bad from a motor the size of a watermelon and which has only one moving part.” Tesla is sueing the show for libel and malicious falsehood, and says the show misrepresented the car’s true range – claiming 55 miles rather than 211 – and that claims a second Roadster on loan had broken brakes was untrue. In a statement , the California-based company, whose first cars were based on British-made Lotuses, said: “Tesla simply wants Top Gear to stop rebroadcasting this malicious episode and to correct the record, but they’ve repeatedly ignored Tesla’s requests.” A Top Gear spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that we have received notification that Tesla have issued proceedings against the BBC. The BBC stands by the programme and will be vigorously defending this claim” On Monday Tesla, which plans to introduce a cheaper “Model S” car next year, said the 1,500 Roadsters it had sold since 2008 had collectively saved over 2,404 tonnes of CO 2 emissions. Top Gear magazine, which is separate from the TV show, has also been critical of previous electric cars, and in 2007 released shocking images of a G-Wiz crash-tested at 40mph . But analysts have predicted 2011 will be a “breakthrough” year for the vehicles , which became eligible a £5,000 government grant in January. Last week, the first few hundred Nissan Leafs, the UK’s first mass-produced electric car, were delivered to customers . Unlike the Tesla Roadster, the Leaf is limited to around 110 miles and 90mph. A new generation of around 10 different electric and plug-in hybrid cars are expected in the UK by the end of 2012. Separately on Wednesday, green group WWF released a report warning that the UK will needs millions of electric vehiclesto meet its carbon targets. Around 1.7m will be needed by 2020 and 6.4m by 2030, it said, in an echo of calls by government watchdog the Committee on Climate Change for a similar number to meet the target of cutting greenhouse gases emissions 80% by 2050. Electric, hybrid and low-emission cars Top Gear Carbon emissions Travel and transport Ethical and green living Motoring Television Factual TV Jeremy Clarkson BBC Adam Vaughan guardian.co.uk
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Closed-door inauguration marks beginning of new government, which is dominated by former military officers Burma’s junta has been officially disbanded after power was handed over to a so-called civilian government, the latest phase in a transition to democracy that has been widely criticised as a sham. The closed-door inauguration of the new government on Wednesday was announced only after it took place, in keeping with the secretive style of Burma’s military regimes of the past 50 years. Key figures in the former junta including the leader, Senior General Than Shwe, are expected to retain substantial powers. State television and radio reported that the new government headed by President Thein Sein was sworn in by parliament in the remote capital of Naypyitaw. Thein Sein was the junta’s prime minister and a leading member of the previous military government. Burma, which has been ruled by the army since 1962, held its first elections in 20 years in November, though there has been little indication since of real democratic changes. The news reports said the new government’s arrival marked the end of the junta’s longtime ruling party, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) which has been in power since 1988. “The SPDC is officially dissolved,” state media reported, saying that the dissolution was ordered by Than Shwe, who has wielded absolute power since 1992. Almost immediately after the announcement, government offices underwent a makeover. Signs outside SPDC offices across the country were replaced with new signs saying: “General Administration Office”. The signs were similar shades of dark green, the same colour used by Thein Sein’s ruling party, which is seen as a proxy for the junta. State media did not announce what future role Than Shwe would have. The dissolution of his party renders him effectively retired, but he is expected to remain a dominant force in the country. The 78-year-old no longer holds his two official posts – SPDC chairman and commander of the armed forces. General Min Aung Hlaing was named the new commander of Burma’s armed forces, said Phone Myint Aung, an MP who attended the inauguration. The new government’s 30-member cabinet is dominated by former military officers who retired to run in last November’s elections. About a dozen of the ministers were members of the junta’s cabinet. Only four of the appointees are strictly civilian. Critics say last year’s elections were orchestrated by the junta to perpetuate military rule. With a quarter of the seats in parliament filled by military appointees, and a large majority of the remaining seats won by a military-backed party, the army retains power. The party of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, which won the last elections in 1990 but was blocked from taking power by the military, boycotted November’s vote. Much of the international community also dismissed the elections as rigged in favour of the junta. Aung San Suu Kyi, who heads the opposition group the National League for Democracy, said she hoped relations with the new government would be better. “We always want good relations with the government. I hope that the relationship improves,” she said over the weekend. “We will work for good relations.” Burma guardian.co.uk
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National team plays out 0-0 draw with Argentina at rebuilt, state-of-the-art Estadio Nacional stadium Thousands of Costan Rican fans turned out for the reopening of a state-of-the-art football stadium donated by the Chinese government. Around the Estadio Nacional stadium’s perimeter, laser beams lit up the night sky, acrobats hurled themselves through the air and PAs blared dance music to create a carnival atmosphere in the Sabana neighbourhood of the capital, San José. Inside the national team played out a goalless draw with Argentina, for whom Lionel Messi was a late withdrawal through injury. Yenia, a 27-year-old psychology student, said: “I’m delighted with what they’ve built. It’s so important for our country’s infrastructure and for Costa Rican sport.” She had no qualms about paying the $100 ticket price, despite predicting a 3-1 defeat for her team. A tout offering tickets for 150,000 colones (roughly £190) apiece said he had sold several, testament to the excitement surrounding the match.The project was funded and built by China as thanks for Costa Rica’s former president, Óscar Arias, formally establishing ties between the two countries. Not everyone was convinced by the gift. Jason, a 31-year-old laboratory technician, said he was “very proud of the stadium, which we could never build ourselves”, but had reservations about his government’s association with China. “I don’t like the fact that we have relations with a Communist country. Though clearly there are many financial incentives China can offer that [others] can’t.” Axel, 47, a San José-based writer, said: “If the Chinese give, they expect something in return. We are close to agreeing a free trade deal with China, and this is nothing but a sweetener. Also, China violates human rights, whilst we defend human rights, so it is very important to China’s image to show they have a country like us on their side.” The project has brought instant returns to the local area, with property prices rising tenfold since construction plans were announced. High-rise blocks of flats dwarf the stadium, allowing wealthy residents a view of the pitch and athletics track within. Policemen milled about as the well-behaved crowds streamed towards the turnstiles. “We don’t expect violence, only petty theft”, said one officer, noting the contrast with the rioting that has plagued domestic football in Costa Rica in recent years. No such rivalries abound tonight, with scores of Costa Rican fans sporting Argentina shirts. Although the match failed to live up to the hype, there are high hopes for the home team’s prospects. “We’re just going to get better and better”, declared eight-year-old Ruben. Costa Rica Costa Rica Argentina China Seth Freedman guardian.co.uk
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Film focusing on 1960s model’s affair with photographer David Bailey joins arts documentaries in BBC4 spring/summer lineup Doctor Who star Karen Gillan is to play 1960s model Jean Shrimpton in a BBC4 drama about her love affair with photographer David Bailey. The project, with a working title We’ll Take Manhattan, will be Gillan’s first major drama role since she was cast as the Doctor’s companion Amy Pond in 2009 . Bailey is still to be cast and production has yet to begin. The drama will focus on a 1962 Vogue photo shoot in New York. “We’ll Take Manhattan reveals how a young, visionary photographer refused to conform and insisted on using the unconventional model Jean Shrimpton on an important photo shoot for British Vogue, inadvertently defining the style of the 1960s along the way,” the BBC said. Kudos, the independent producer of Spooks and Life on Mars, is making the drama. John McKay is writing and directing, with Rebecca Hodgson producing. Executive producers are McKay, Claire Parker and Ruth Kenley-Letts for Kudos and Lucy Richer for the BBC. The project is being co-financed by US cable arts channel Ovation. The Shrimpton/Bailey drama follows in a long line of BBC4 biopics on subjects including Hattie Jacques, Enid Blyton, Gracie Fields, Frankie Howerd, Kenneth Williams and Tony Hancock. Plans for We’ll Take Manhattan were announced by the BBC4 controller, Richard Klein, as he unveiled the digital network’s spring/summer 2011 programming lineup. The Prince of Wales will present The Prince and the Composer, a BBC4 documentary about Jerusalem composer Hubert Parry. BBC4 is marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of Terence Rattigan with a documentary about the playwright fronted by Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch; while Richard E Grant will present The Secrets of the Arabian Nights. Upcoming BBC4 shows include Scrapheap Orchestra, in which junk, broken furniture and the contents of roadside skips are turned into instruments to be played by the BBC Orchestra, led by conductor Charles Hazlewood. The orchestra will attempt to perform a medley of three classical pieces, including Tchaikovsky’s 181 Overture, in a programme aiming to show how instruments work and the science of music. Afterlife, another BBC4 science show, looks at decay and decomposition through an Edinburgh Zoo exhibition to be displayed during the city’s annual festival. The exhibition will feature a typical kitchen and garden in a purpose-built box and visitors to the event and online viewers will be able to witness the decay of everyday foods and substances over a two month period. The results will also feature in a BBC4 programme to be presented by Oxford University’s George McGavin. BBC4 programming seasons later this year will include Botany, tracing the history of plant science, including the three-part series Botany – A Blooming History; while Iceland explores Icelandic culture. “We’re curious about the world around us and will continue to take an in depth exploration of subjects that you rarely see on television, from botany to Icelandic culture, as well as dramatising moments that have changed the course of cultural life, for example when David Bailey and Jean Shrimpton created an image that redefined the 1960s,” said Klein. He added that BBC4 had had a good start to 2011, increasing its audience share from 1.1% in 2010 to 1.3% for the year to date, helped by the success of shows including Hattie and The Killing. •
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Washington questioned over its assertion that UN mandate permits supply of arms to anti-Gaddafi rebels The US is likely to be in breach of the UN security council’s arms embargo on Libya if it sends weapons to the rebels, experts in international law have warned. After Hillary Clinton said it would be legal to send arms to support the uprising, lawyers analysing the terms of the UN’s 26 February arms embargo said it would require a change in the terms for it not to breach international law. “The embargo appears to cover everybody in the conflict which means you can’t supply arms to rebels,” said Philippe Sands QC, professor of international law at University College London. His view was backed by other experts in international law who said they could not see how the US could legally justify sending arms into Libya under the current resolutions. Clinton told a press conference in London on Tuesday that this month’s UN security council resolution creating a no-fly zone and allowing strikes to protect civilians effectively amended or overrode the absolute prohibition on arms to anyone in Libya, “so that there could be a legitimate transfer of arms if a country should choose to do that”. Asked whether the US itself would arm Libya revolutionaries, Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN, said: “We have not made that decision but we’ve not certainly ruled that out.” February’s UN security council resolution 1970 on the arms embargo states that all member states must prevent the supply to the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya – the Libyan nation – of arms including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary equipment and spare parts. The embargo also relates to the provision of technical assistance, training or financial and bans the provision of mercenaries. It includes an exemption for “other sales or supply of arms and related material, or provision of assistance or personnel, as approved in advance by the committee”. The committee was established to oversee the implementation of the embargo and is chaired by José Filipe Moraes Cabral, Portugal’s ambassador to the UN. Professor Nicholas Grief, director of legal studies at the University of Kent, said that to him the 17 March resolution in fact appeared to strengthen the arms embargo by calling for its “strict implementation” by member states. “I don’t see how they can say that reading them together means they can circumvent the arms embargo,” he said. “The resolution makes clear it is for the security council to decide whether to strengthen, suspend or lift the arms embargo, not for member states to act unilaterally.” On Monday, the Nato secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasumussen, stressed the importance of respecting the arms embargo. “The UN mandate authorises the enforcement of an arms embargo,” he said. “We are not in Libya to arm people but to protect people.” A leading expert on UN law who has advised the British government and asked not to be named said: “The attempt to take the two resolutions together to justify arming the rebels looks like an imaginative interpretation by the US. I don’t think the security council had the rebels in mind when it passed the resolution. I would be interested to see what the US argument is in detail.” “The idea of the arms embargo resolution is to limit the supply of arms to both sides, as similar UN embargoes covering Iraq and Haiti have done.” A senior state department official confirmed the US government believed that combined, the 26 February arms embargo and the 17 March security council resolution “give us the flexibility necessary should that decision be taken [to arm the rebellion]“. “Taken together the two resolutions don’t preclude the provision of arms to the rebels,” the official said. Libya Middle East Arms trade Arab and Middle East unrest US foreign policy US military United States Robert Booth guardian.co.uk
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Band’s plans to give away newspaper in Washington DC sent awry as fans are given wrong delivery address When Radiohead announced they would give out their free newspaper on street corners around the world, they forgot to study a map of Washington DC. Yesterday, as instructed on the website for the Universal Sigh , Radiohead fans gathered at the intersection of the city’s Jefferson and 7th Streets NW, waiting for their free tabloid. Then they kept waiting. And kept waiting. And no one – not Thom Yorke, not producer Nigel Godrich, not one of their paid news interns – actually showed up. Radiohead got the address wrong, according to the Washington City Paper . Although they told fans to meet at 784 Jefferson Street NW, that address doesn’t actually exist. They meant to send them to Jefferson Street SW – namely the Hirshhorn Gallery , on the historic National Mall, more than 4 miles away. Instead, more than 30 people showed up at a sleepy intersection in residential Brightwood and, er, sighed the universal sigh. “It makes me not want to listen to Radiohead,” Carla Vizzini told the City Paper, annoyed that she wasted her lunch hour trying to get a copy of the Sigh. One group of five drove 200 miles, from Lynchburg, Virginia, to get their hands on the paper. Before the crowd learned that copies were waiting at the Hirshhorn, they squinted at every passing car, even a Cadillac hearse, hoping it bore Radiohead’s inky prize. “Fuck them for not giving us something for free!” someone joked. Geography can be confusing, especially if you’re organising newspaper handouts in 61 locations worldwide. And Google Maps is not perfect. But in DC they are blaming Pierre L’Enfant, the civil engineer who designed Washington’s “totally confusing” city plan. Imagine if he had helped design the Radiohead website . Radiohead Pop and rock Washington DC United States Newspapers Newspapers & magazines Sean Michaels guardian.co.uk
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